It is going to be very easy to follow now. From the north it starts on the south tip of the lake and a little ways up a stream at a beaver dam. It is low ground but far from boggy.

Is it the same place as before?? I mean the south portage out of Poodle to the Minjim. If I remember it right it started out very wet. We had the most trouble with the last part of the portage. You could see where you needed to go but getting there wasn't easy.

nctry_Ben wrote on Jun 16^th, 2014 at 12:45am:


The Poodle portages can easily be followed but just take that from me. Officially you may be told that they are not able to be used. The south portage is marked wrong on the new map. Look for it on the NW corner of the bay and not NE as the map shows as you exit north from East Royd Creek. Water levels were high with most lakes showing only 6 inches below the high water mark on the rock walls. I should add that this was before the heavy rains  of last week.

I didn't think the Poodle portages would be open. Might have to check it out. I imagine they are getting the same rain as we are in MN. Was the water flowing pretty good?

We landed on Olive in NE WCPP and were soon ice bound but the ice moved  before the next morning and we were able to head toward Bigshell. Passed through Thicketwood and down Larus and Murdock. We took a shorcut through Poodle to East Royd Creek and headed to Royd for the second crew changout of the trip. With this third group I headed east on the Minjim route through Lightning. Had some fishermen in the group so we dined on Joey Lake Walleye for a few days. At Indian House we headed SE through Crystal and Page and exited at the Johnson access.

Video to come later but if anyone needs current news on the route conditions they can be supplied. All of the route I traveled is open. The middle portage between Indian House and Crystal is a mucky mess but the others run the normal various conditions seen on portages.